Derek Luke Goes Hard (In The Gym)

Don’t let his baby face and killer smile fool you. Actor Derek Luke has spent much of his career as the breakout star of ensemble casts, including “Biker Boyz” and “Antwone Fisher”, “Sparkle” and countless others. Playing a variety of characters that are full of charm and charisma, Derek Luke transforms that persona when he walks into a gym to workout.

Training with C.P.T. David Alexander, who works with UFC fighters, Derek does circuits of compound movements with low-rest periods two days a week. On two other days he gets outside, often before the sun comes up, for one of three different lung-busting track workouts.

“I like nature,” he says, “and old-school training.” Those workouts incorporate explosive movements like sprinting and speed drills that are actually more difficult for Luke than his work in the gym. “Mentally, the track challenges him more,” says Alexander.